High performance computing systems, including network systems and the like, presently exploit, amongst other things, electronic interconnection networks to allow for the transfer of data between and within such systems.
Such interconnection networks are typically composed of digital electronics, which are arranged to process signals at very high speeds. There are however limitations with the digital electronics that are used presently within such systems when they are required to process signals at very high speeds. The logic gates that are often used in such interconnection networks are unable to sufficiently quickly change state to cope with the high speed demands required from modern telecommunications equipment. Whereas telecommunications once only transmitted low bandwidth voice information, it is now required to transmit video and data information, which requires much greater bandwidth particularly as video quality moves to high definition television and high performance computing systems increase their processing capabilities. Electronic devices are reaching fundamental limits at these high bandwidths in terms of their power consumption, wiring density and throughput.